Musicians use a pick to pluck or strum the strings of a stringed musical instrument thereby causing them to vibrate and produce musical sounds and tones. A typical instrument pick is a small substantially teardrop shaped object having a broadened top finger grip portion and a narrowed bottom picking portion. In use, a musician holds the broadened top portion between the thumb and forefinger to guide the narrowed picking portion across the strings.
Picks of the prior art are substantially smooth on the front and back planar surfaces of the narrowed bottom portion so that they are nearly frictionless and soundless as they slide across the strings during strumming or plucking. Some picks of the prior art have a roughened textured on the broadened top finger grip portion to increase the gripping friction between the pick, thumb, and forefinger thereby making it less likely for the pick to be dropped unintentionally during use.
Frequently it is desirable for musicians to produce a number of differentiated tonal sounds in a single performance. By way of example, a musician may prefer to have a quiet subdued tone while playing behind a vocalist and a louder or more distorted tone during an instrument solo. The final perceived tonal sound is typically the summation of several tone altering apparatuses or selected features. Some examples include but are not limited to: engaging or disengaging electronic circuitry designed to distort or otherwise modify the electric signal of a stringed instrument's pickups, the type of amplifier used, the dimensions and material of the instrument body and strings, and the dimensions and material of the instrument pick.
In view of the foregoing there is a need for an improved design for a stringed musical instrument pick. For example it may be desirable for an improved pick to impart gritty or distorted tonal properties by nature of its design. It would be further desirable to be able to change the tonal properties imparted by the pick during a performance. Further still it would be desirable to include a means of changing the tonal properties quickly so as to not interrupt or delay the performance.